This invention relates to a business method for promoting goods and services of providers, such as business owners, through the distribution and tracking of direct mail promotional items. The invention utilizes machine-readable codes applied to the items. When the items are redeemed and the codes scanned, useful information concerning the recipient of the item is acquired and reported. The invention reveals trends relevant to particular customer groups, markets and industries, provides valuable demographics information to business owners, and generates customer and prospects lists for future mailings.
Unlike other direct mail promotions, the present invention designates a targeted group of recipients and preselects multiple items highly relevant to the group for mailing in a bundled cooperative mail package. For example, if the targeted group is first-time parents, each package may include paper coupons for a baby furniture store, diapers and wipes, daycare and pediatrician services, baby formula, and the like. Some recipients in the group may receive more or less items, or even different but related items based on demographics and other valuable information obtained in previous mailings to similarly situated recipients. Similarly, the invention may also generate secondary mailings to recipients based on past item redemptions. For example, if a recipient in a direct mailing which targets new residents redeems an item at a furniture store to purchase a baby's crib, the secondary mailing to that recipient may include direct mail items relating to baby formula, diapers, and the like.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,675 to Zetmeir describes a comparable method for determining the effectiveness of a mass mailing. In Zetmeir, random direct mail items are mailed individually to a class of recipients. The mass mailing is not targeted based on the nature of the goods and services advertized, nor does the mailing include multiple items in a single cooperative mail package.